For visitors to Turkey, going to Istanbul's Grand Bazaar is a must-do.

But for the Chinese who love Turkish culture, they don't have to travel so far to get a taste of the world's biggest market, since Asia's largest Turkish goods and culture center outside the country was opened in Tianjin last November.

Occupying an area of more than 2,000 square meters, it offers a wide range of goods from the Evil Eye, the blue amulet, and Turkish carpets to doner kebabs and hookahs.

In addition, it also provides a space that introduces the culture of the country, such as Ebru, a traditional painting art using aqueous natural pigments mixed with ox gall.

"In the Silk Road era, there were many rest houses in Turkey, where people stayed and sold goods from China, and some of them still exist today and are tourist attractions," says Luo Ke, the owner of the bazaar in Tianjin.

"What I am doing now is to create a modern version of them in China and bringing all the good stuff from Turkey to China," he says.

Having studied and worked in Istanbul from 1997 to 2007, Luo, a Beijing native, is one of the most dedicated promoters of Turkey in China.

He set up a website to introduce Turkey to the Chinese; he has been a guide for camera crews from China making documentaries or films in Turkey; he has been a consultant for the Turkish embassy in Beijing for many events in China, including the Turkish pavilion during the Shanghai World Expo in 2010.

"Despite Turkey being an increasingly popular tourism destination for the Chinese, most people here are not very familiar with country and I'm always willing to fill the gap," says Luo, 38.

While Turkey was the world's sixth most popular tourist destination last year with more than 36 million foreign tourists, the Chinese accounted for less than 1 percent, according to the Turkish tourism authority.

When Luo went to study in Turkey after senior high school in 1997, he knew nothing about the country.

Asked how he landed there, he says: "It was pretty random as my father learned that a private college in Turkey was recruiting in Beijing and he knew I wanted to study abroad. I am not from a wealthy background and they even borrowed some money to send me there.

"I had no idea about Turkey at all back then. I even wondered if people there still rode camels on the streets."

However, despite the initial hiccups, it turned out that it didn't take him too much to get accustomed to the local culture.

"To be honest, I find that Turkish and Chinese culture are very similar in many ways. We both have a very long history, are very friendly to visitors and respect the old," he says.

But he finds Turkey much more diverse as it connects Asia and Europe, and offers a mix of modernity and tradition.

"I also like their idea of education. In China, it is very rare that you take the initiative to educate other's kids. But in Turkey, it is everyone's responsibility to correct a child's misbehavior and people appreciate it," says Luo, who has bachelor's degree in educational psychology from the prestigious Boazi?i University.

Luo met his wife, Song Min, in Turkey and returned to Beijing together with her when she got pregnant in 2007.

Sharing his passion for Turkey, Song worked for the Turkish embassy in Beijing before joining her husband at the new establishment last year.

"Despite the instability at the moment, Turkey is really an interesting and beautiful country and worth visiting. I hope more people can get a real taste of the country after coming to our bazaar," he says.